NEW YORK: When Snapchat’s geofilters came out in December 2014, they were mainly used to add fun, location-specific designs on top of photos.
Since then, brands such as IHOP and MasterCard have used the community-driven filters to target consumers. Now, an ad agency has a new approach.
Digital shop space150 calls itself the "agency of the next five years" and claims to be the first to use the geofilters to hunt for potential interns. (Snapchat could not be reached to confirm this statement). By targeting libraries and common areas on college campuses and local hotspots such as the Venice Skate Park in Los Angeles, space150 hopes to recruit socially engaged candidates for 10 open intern positions in its New York, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Burbank, California, offices.
Space150 used Snapchat’s self-service tool to create its own unique geofilters that add some personality to the recruiting process. A Tinder-style filter said, "Let’s see if we’re a match," while one with Donald Trump hair commented, "Make space150 great again."
This is the first time the agency has dedicated its entire recruitment process to Snapchat. Greg Swan, VP of social engagement, said the social media platform is already a place where students connect with friends and influencers. For an agency that receives 100 applications for every open intern position, Snapchat makes it easier to find what Swan calls "thinkers, disrupters, and visionaries."
"Whereas using Twitter to recruit was a story in 2009," he said, "today's recruiting medium of choice for top social-minded candidates is Snapchat."
Candidates are expected to create a "snap story" to promote one of space150’s clients, a list that includes Nike, Buffalo Wild Wings, and American Express.
But there’s a twist: the story should be targeted at audiences in the year 2020. The agency will review the stories after its April 10 deadline, and top candidates will be interviewed for an annual program that begins in June.
"We wanted to cut through the traditional intern outreach and make something that captured attention and catalyzed candidates to spread the word for us," Swan said.
This story originally appeared on Campaign US.
